The Early Rain

Stephen Briseño

The Early Rain

The Early Rainhttps://barrenmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/cosmic-panel.png20001333Stephen BriseñoStephen Briseñohttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f0cdd9a7e918ef4563a4e0081bf575d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g10/20/201801/16/2019

creates a snare drum throbbing eighteenth notes on my roof for a solid ten minutes. A bag of spilt pellets dancing on linoleum. On repeat. What gets me though is that a co-worker complained about the beats he heard against his windows last night. How his eyes refused to close at three forty five. He called it a droning. But me–I have always thrummed along the steering wheel, on the lip of the dinner table, cracked sets of chopsticks and drummed glasses topped with water, witnessed the condensation bounce off the surface, scatter before me like clusters of stars marching in random patterns. The notes now melt into thick streams gathering in the gutters. I grasp my pillow, nestle in place, find comfort as God cracks the glass of heaven, births constellations to a mighty rhythm across my roof and window panes.

About the Author

Stephen Briseño is a poet, photographer, and middle school English teacher. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Memoir Mixtapes, 8Poems, formercactus, Bone & Ink Press, and Right Hand Pointing. He lives in San Antonio with his wife and daughter, where you can usually find them lounging at a coffee shop.